


Cold winds and hot springs

by EllieStormfound



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Takes Care of Jaskier | Dandelion, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Hurt/Comfort, Jaskier gets too cold on the way up to Kaer Morhen, Jaskier | Dandelion Goes To Kaer Morhen, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Kaer Morhen, Kaer Morhen's Fanon Hot Springs (The Witcher), M/M, Panic Attacks, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Winter At Kaer Morhen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:10:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29609223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieStormfound/pseuds/EllieStormfound
Summary: In which Jaskier and Geralt get hit by a snowstorm on their way up to Kaer Morhen and Geralt surprises Jaskier with unexpected amenities of the keep
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 26
Kudos: 264





	Cold winds and hot springs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xxenjoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxenjoy/gifts).



> I got a lovely prompt about Geralt showing Jaskier the hot springs for the first time and it somehow got really angsty, sorry, but its hurt/comfort with a happy end!
> 
> If you'd rather read a more fluffy story from me about Geralt and Jaskier in the hot springs, you can read [Let me take care of you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28075023)
> 
> CW: very cold weather, jaskier doesn't take it so well and is only half conscious when they arrive at KM (nothing too descriptive)/ nudity but in a non-sexual way / Jaskier has a panic attack, but it has a happy end

Jaskier was only half conscious when Geralt practically dragged him over the threshold of Kaer Morhen.

The witcher had waited too long to finally invite him to the Wolves’ keep. Normally they seperated when the leaves turned golden, Jaskier heading to a court or Oxenfurt and Geralt north into the Blue Mountains. But both of them had lingered this, delayed the inevitable goodbye.

But when the leaves had started to fall and cushion the forest floor in heaps of red and brown, Geralt had plucked up his courage and asked the bard to come with him. The anxiety had made the words stumble out of his mouth and he had to repeat the question after a few deep breaths and was rewarded with a bright smile and an enthusiastic ‘yes’.

But he had waited too long. The track up the mountain was even under the best circumstances hard for a human, but that late in the autumn, the howling winds had a bite to them that pierced through every layer of clothes Jaskier had been wrapped in.  
In the last village before the keep, Geralt had made him buy warmer clothes, a woolen sweater, warm pants, a thick fur cloak and heavy boots.

And they had kept the bard warm for the next day, but then the snow had set in. At first Jaskier had been enchanted by the fat flakes that danced through the air. But when the actual snow storm hit them, even these winter clothes couldn’t keep the cold away from Jaskier’s fragile human body.

During the day he shivered, but their constant movement kept his blood flowing warm through his body, but in the night he had clung to Geralt under a pile of blankets, absorbing his heat.

But the last few hours before they reached the keep, the path had led them out of the forest, so they were even more exposed to the harsh winds. Jaskier had started to shiver violently, his teeth chattering and Geralt knew that when Jaskier stayed uncharacteristically silent, that he had to hurry to bring him to safety.

He had let go of Roach’s lead and let her walk before them. She knew the way anyway. Geralt had wrapped one arm around Jaskier’s middle, steadying him and shielding him from the worst of the winds.

So they had stumbled in the courtyard of the crumbling castle in the sky.

* * *

Jaskier could make out an older witcher - probably Vesemir - standing in the hall. From what he knew about Geralt, Jaskier hadn’t expected to be greeted with hugs and a cocktail, but the older witcher was frowning heavily at them, arms propped up on his hips.

The witcher barked in a rough voice, “you should have known better than to bring a human...”

Cold dread of being unwelcome after such a hard journey joined the cold sting of the icy winds he still felt in his bones. He heard Geralt and the other witcher trade a few more sharp sentences that he didn’t quite catch.

“Bring him downstairs now,” was the only other sentence Jaskier heard and he started to shake violently.

Geralt turned to him, grabbed him at the waist and in one smooth motion threw him unceremoniously over his shoulder.  
Visions of dark dungeons with rusty chains on the walls played through Jaskier’s mind and he fisted his hands into Geralt’s coat as the witcher walked them down winding staircases.  
When Geralt tried to put him down, Jaskier clung to him. He felt so cold, he was sure he wouldn’t survive a winter in a dungeon.

“Jaskier, let go of my coat,” Geralt said in a strained voice.  
“No,” Jaskier sobbed, “I’ll be good, I’ll stay in my room, they won’t even notice I’m there,” be babbled between sobs.  
“What are you talking about?” Geralt asked as he finally managed to set Jaskier down on a bench. He hunkered down in front of him, so they were on eye level.  
“Don’t put me in the dungeon,” Jaskier pleaded, grabbing Geralt’s coat again.

“Shh, look at me,” Geralt said. He had removed his gloves and put his hands on either side of Jaskier’s face.  
When the blue eyes found his golden ones he said slowly and calmly, “no one is putting you in a dungeon.”

“But...he said...I wasn’t welcome and to bring me downstairs?”  
The crease between Geralt’s brows deepened before he said, “oh.”  
The fear returned to Jaskier’s face and Geralt said hurriedly, “Jaskier, Vesemir was chiding me for waiting so long to bring you here, for dragging you through a snowstorm.”  
Jaskier frowned in confusion and Geralt went on, “and we don’t really have any functioning dungeons anymore. Vesemir told me to bring you down to the hot springs.”

“Hot what?” Jaskier asked.  
“Hot springs,” Geralt repeated.  
“Like...baths?”  
Geralt nodded, “like baths.”  
“Oh,” the bard said and finally let go of Geralt’s robes.  
“It’s the fastest way to get you warm.”

He was still holding Jaskier’s head and when he was reassured that the bard’s panic had died down he asked, “can I undress you?”  
“Undress me?”  
“Yes, for the bath.”  
“Yes,” Jaskier said weakly. The surge of panic from moments before seemed to have exhausted his very last reserves of strengths. He sat like a puppet whose strings had been cut.  
Geralt started to peel away the layers of damp clothes till Jaskier was naked and hurriedly undressed himself.

Then Geralt picked him up, arms under Jaskier’s knees and behind his back and walked them over to a pool in the ground. There was steam in the air and Jaskier couldn’t make out the exact outline of the room.

Suddenly he felt something warm at his feet and then he was fully submerged in the warm water. He had flung his arms around Geralt’s neck and was sitting on his lap. The water reached to his shoulders and it felt hot and was stinging his skin, but it was a good stinging somehow. And it was comforting to feel Geralt’s strong arms around him. He let his head fall onto Geralt’s shoulder.

“That’s nice,” he whispered after a while, “I think I can feel my toes again.”  
Geralt chuckled and hugged him a bit closer, glad to finally have him somewhere safe.  
“I’m sorry,” he whispered into Jaskier’s tousled hair, where he had pressed his face.  
“What for?”  
“For waiting so long to ask you,” Geralt answered, “for dragging you through a snowstorm, for endangering you.”  
“It worked out in the end, didn’t it?”  
Geralt only hummed.  
After a while Jaskier said, “you never told me that you have hot springs here.”  
“You never asked.”  
Jaskier snorted but snuggled a bit closer to his witcher.


End file.
